The US House of Representative finally elected a new Speaker of the House on Wednesday. Representative Johnson (R-LA) immediately took to the position like a duck to water. He is in his fourth term, representing Louisiana’s 4th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2017. A powerful rise for one of the newer kids on the block. But what about Mike Johnson and marijuana?
Johnson’s home state of Louisiana has legal medical marijuana, but recreational marijuana use remains prohibited under state law. New Orleans, known as the Big Easy, is ok with to-go cups of alcohol, but not legal weed.
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Louisiana first approved medical cannabis for cancer and glaucoma patients in 1978. The state’s medical marijuana program was advanced further by the Alison Neustrom Act (SB 143) in 2015. This act increased the types of qualifying conditions and delivery methods available to patients. Finally, the passage of HB 819, which was signed into law by Governor John Bel Edwards in 2020, greatly expanded medical cannabis access to qualified residents of the state.
The cannabis industry entered the fall with high hopes after a bruising couple of years. Consumer sales continue to skyrocket, the Biden administration finally made a move on rescheduling and the Senate decided to create the SAFER Banking bill, after the House had passed a similar one seven times. But the House Speaker election results have cast a chill over the industry with several industry leaders worried about the outlook.
Johnson has been clear he is not a fan of legal marijuana. Johnson voted against the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act that President Joe Biden signed into law late last year. He also twice voted against the bipartisan SAFE Banking Act, the predecessor to the SAFER Banking Act, in 2019 and 2021.
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He is a Southern Baptist evangelical and has said: “My faith informs everything I do.”. This could be a key concern when it comes to cannabis. Southern Baptists are not a big fan of drinking alcohol as it is an intoxicate. The irony is he represents a state known for its drinking culture.
Terry Hacienda
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